Last week we explored a proposed solution to Hume's problem of induction --- Schurz's meta-inductor. The idea was this: suppose we have a bunch of predictors, and we are predicting something like the next symbol in a sequence. For example, we might have seen this sequence so far: 100100100100100 and our goal is to predict… Continue reading Paper Review: Can the Best-Alternative Justification Solve Hume’s Problem? On the Limits of a Promising Approach
Tag: prediction
Paper Review: No Free Lunch Theorem, Inductive Skepticism, and the Optimality of Meta-induction
The infamous no free lunch theorem (NFL theorem) asserts that all computable prediction methods have equal expected success. Computer scientists, and occasionally philosophers, often describe this result as a computer-science cousin of Hume's problem of induction. Given this theorem, one might think that trying to design a better or worse prediction algorithm for general prediction tasks is pointless:… Continue reading Paper Review: No Free Lunch Theorem, Inductive Skepticism, and the Optimality of Meta-induction
The Crow's Nest 